Barden High: The Prequel
by Another Bechloe Shipper
Summary: Chloe moves to Barden just before her senior year of high school because her mother gets relocated. Prequel to the fic I wrote called Barden High for Staubrey Week 2019. Bechloe Week 2019 - Day 4 - High School


A/N: Prequel to my Barden High fic I wrote for Staubrey Week.

* * *

Chloe Beale walked into Barden High School to register for classes. She couldn't believe that, of all years, her mother had to get a promotion to relocate just before Chloe's senior year of high school. She wished her mother could have put the entire thing on hold for a year, but that just wasn't how things worked.

As Chloe and her mother sat with a guidance counselor and sorted out her class schedule, the guidance counselor said, "Well, what did you do back in Tampa?"

"I was a cheerleader."

"Well, your chemistry teacher, Ms. Conrad, is also the cheer coach. She held tryouts this past spring, but I'm sure you could talk to her to see if there are any spots left on the squad."

Chloe shrugged.

The guidance counselor glanced at a calendar on her desk. "Actually, if you would like to meet some other seniors, it just so happens that the senior back-to-school picnic is on the lawn behind the school. I'm sure you could head over for a while once I'm done with your class schedule."

Chloe simply chewed on her bottom lip. She normally was very sociable, but she was overwhelmed at starting over where she didn't know a soul.

"Come on, Chloe," said her mom. "At your old school, you would have been there in a heartbeat."

"I'd known most of those kids since preschool."

"Well, how are you going to meet anyone if you don't go?"

"I don't have anything to eat."

"I'll grab something for you and bring it over. In the meantime, talk to people. Bring out that Beale charm!"

Chloe had to suppress the urge to roll her eyes. She was pretty sure she'd left her "Beale charm" back in Florida where it belonged.

"I really think you'll like it here," said the guidance counselor. "We have clubs for just about every interest you can imagine. We have a ton of sports teams, band, orchestra, choir..."

"Chloe you love singing!" her mom exclaimed.

Chloe shrugged again.

"You have enough music credits, but I can fit it into your schedule if you like. You have at least a couple classes open after I take care of your required graduation courses."

"Okay," said Chloe. She _did_ like singing. That was at least a class she'd probably pass easily.

"That's everything," said the counselor. "Here's your schedule. If you want to go to the picnic, just go around the left side of the building once you go out. I'm sure you'll hear the noise before you see the students."

"Okay, Mom, I'll go," said Chloe. "But text me when you have my lunch and I'll meet you at the front of the building. I don't want to be known as the new girl who had to have her mommy bring her lunch."

"I think you're overreacting, but okay."

Chloe walked around the building, and the counselor was right, she heard the noise before she saw the students.

It was a pretty big group of kids. There were guys chasing a soccer ball, girls chatting in big groups, several students taking selfies, etc. Chloe didn't know what to do. It seemed like everybody knew each other, and she thought she'd never felt so alone in her life.

She spotted a girl doing tumbling tricks on the grass. She reminded her of her other friends on the cheer squad back in Florida. Once the girl finished, she caught Chloe's eye. Chloe began to look away when the girl walked up to her.

"Hi! Are you new here?"

"Yes. Your tumbling was awesome. I didn't mean to stare."

"I don't mind. I was showing off. I'm Flo."

"Chloe."

"Where are you from?"

"Tampa, Florida. I moved here this week. I live in the neighborhood that way," said Chloe, pointing in the general direction of her new house.

"Cool. My friend Beca lives over there. Come on, I'll introduce you."

"I don't want to intrude. I didn't even know about the picnic. I just registered for classes and the guidance counselor told me."

"I insist. I want you to meet my friends. We all probably have extra food, and if not, Beca has a car. She loves food, so I'm sure it won't be a hard sell to get her to go through the drive-through."

Chloe simply followed Flo, not knowing what else to do. She walked over to a group of three other girls. She pointed to a blonde girl. "This is Jessica." She pointed to a tall brunette with brown eyes. "Ashley." She pointed to a small brunette with blue eyes. "And Beca."

"Who's the hottie?" asked Beca. Chloe felt her face get hot.

"This is Chloe. She's new here," said Flo.

"Hi," said Chloe.

Chloe's text alert went off. It was her mom with food. "Excuse me. I'll be right back."

She headed to the front of the building, grabbed a bag from Taco Bell from her mom, and headed back to the group of girls.

"Did you get Uber eats or something?" asked Beca.

"Ummm...no. I just registered here today and I found out about the picnic just after. That was my mom bringing me lunch. I didn't want everyone to see that. I hope you guys don't think I'm a dork."

"No way. A mom who brings Taco Bell is my kind of mom."

Chloe opened the bag. "And it looks like she got extra. Want one?"

"Be still my beating heart," said Beca, as she dramatically tapped her chest.

"Smooth, Mitchell," said Jessica.

Beca flipped her off before taking the taco from Chloe.

Chloe glanced back and forth and saw both girls were grinning, so she figured this was just banter.

"So, Flo, where did you learn to tumble like that?"

"Oh, I've been taking gymnastics since I was five."

"That's cool. So, are you a cheerleader?"

"I am, but I never get to do that in our routines."

"Why not?"

"I'm the smallest one on the squad, so I'm a flyer."

"What's wrong with the bases on the squad?"

"Nothing, I guess. We just can't get the girls to throw anyone else. And Beca won't join."

"I do the music for the cheer squad. And I enjoy the view. I'm not letting you assholes throw me in the air, and no way am I wearing that uniform. Taking it off of someone on the squad, though..." said Beca with a smirk.

"You don't have guys on the team?" asked Chloe, trying to ignore Beca's eyes that were definitely raking up and down her body.

"No," said Flo. "Should we?"

"Oh, totes," said Chloe. "We had a bunch of them on my old team back in Tampa. They're great bases for stunts."

"We should ask Ms. Conrad about that!" exclaimed Ashley.

"I think I have her for chemistry," said Chloe.

"Let's see your schedule," said Beca.

Chloe pulled the schedule out of her pocket. Beca looked down the list. "We're both in Conrad's homeroom. She's pretty cool. You'll love her chemistry class, and I bet you can sweet talk her into letting you on the squad. You know your stuff for sure. I'm in that class with you as well as your English class. Posen's tough. I've had her every single year. I was hoping to catch a break this year, but no such luck. I've decided my mission this year is to get the woman laid so she'll loosen up."

"What?" asked Chloe.

"Beca and Posen have been butting heads since her freshman year. Beca's latest theory is that Posen hasn't gotten laid in a long time and that she'll stop being so difficult if she sees some action," said Jessica.

"Last year, she was convinced Posen wasn't eating enough chocolate. Beca kept putting Hershey Kisses and Hershey Miniatures and fun-sized candy bars on her desk," said Ashley. "I'm genuinely surprised the woman didn't appear to gain an ounce."

"I did it for the first half of the school year before giving up," said Beca.

"That's an interesting theory," said Chloe. "Is she tough on everybody?"

"She's way tougher on Beca," said Flo. "That's probably because Beca tends to mouth off in class."

"I just call her on her shit," said Beca.

"Sure you do," said Jessica. "And then you end up in detention."

"Which is why she needs to get laid," said Beca.

Chloe spent the rest of the picnic mostly observing the banter between the group. She found herself surprisingly disappointed when the picnic ended. She went to walk home when Beca stopped her.

"Hey, do you want a ride home?"

"I guess so," said Chloe. "If it's not too much trouble. I only live a few blocks that way."

"I'm in the same neighborhood," said Beca. "Wait, when did you move in?"

"Two days ago."

"So _you're_ the new family that moved in. I was volunteering at the hospital that day, so I never saw you guys."

Chloe told her the name of her street. "Yeah, that's mine too. I live on the opposite end of the street. Come on, my car is this way."

"Thanks," said Chloe.

As they approached their street, Beca pointed to a house. "That's my house," she said. "I'm guessing you're at the end?"

"Yes, last one on the left,"

"Cool," said Beca. "Well, now you know where to find me. If you want, we can ride to school together. Unless you have your own car."

"I don't," said Chloe. "I never got around to getting my license back in Florida. My parents were going to teach me how to drive this summer, but then my mom got transferred and we had to relocate."

"Shitty year for having to do that," said Beca. "So, what does she do?"

"She works in finance."

"Your dad?"

"He teaches for an online homeschool program, so he can work anywhere we have internet."

"Nice. So, your mom is the breadwinner?"

"Always has been."

"Mine too. She's a CPA and my dad is a teacher. Not at Barden, though. He teaches at the middle school."

"Sounds like a glutton for punishment."

"He likes it. I don't think I'd want to deal with a bunch of moody tweens, but he is really good at what he does."

"Cool. Well, I'd better go. Thanks for the ride."

"Let me give you my number," said Beca. Chloe handed Beca her phone. Beca added her contact info and then texted herself.

"Now you have my number and I have yours."

"Thanks again, Beca."

Chloe's face broke into a wide smile as soon as she walked inside. She'd gotten awfully lucky to meet some new people before her first day, and Beca was flirting with her. She liked girls, but she hadn't dated one before. While she wished she was still in Tampa, maybe this wasn't so bad.

* * *

It was the first day of school. Chloe walked over to Beca's house and knocked on the door. A woman who Chloe could only describe as "what Beca would probably look like in thirty years" answered the door.

"Hi, you must be Chloe. Come on in. Beca will be down in a minute."

"Thanks, Mrs. Mitchell."

"Call me Ellen. Mrs. Mitchell is my mother-in-law," the woman said with a laugh.

Beca came down the stairs less than a minute later. "Hey, Chloe. Ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," said Chloe.

Beca called, "Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad!" as she left.

Chloe got into Beca's car. She was quiet, trying to tame the butterflies in her stomach.

"Nervous?" asked Beca.

Chloe nodded.

"You'll be fine," said Beca.

Once they pulled up to the school, Beca walked her through the building. She pointed to the list of clubs outside the main office. "I'm sure they told you we have a ton of clubs here. I'm the president of the Rainbow Club."

"They call it the Rainbow Club?"

"Yeah," said Beca with a chuckle. "I wanted to call it the Queer Society, but I got outvoted. Anyway, we meet on Wednesdays. Straight allies are welcome, but, if my gaydar is correct, you're not a straight ally."

"Your gaydar is half right. I'm bi."

"Nice," said Beca. She went on to explain the basic layout of the school so Chloe could hopefully find her classes with minimal use of the campus map.

"Thanks," said Chloe. "I'm sure I'll figure it out."

They parted ways once homeroom was over. "See you in third period English," said Beca. "I haven't figured out how to execute my plan."

"I'm not sure how you'd do that anyway," said Chloe. She wondered what Beca could possibly have up her sleeve to get a teacher laid. The girl was definitely unique.

* * *

Third period English was interesting. There was a bin for cell phones at the entrance of the classroom. Chloe was surprised when Beca dropped hers in willingly. "If she catches you with your phone, you get a detention. Believe me, she won't budge on that one," Beca told Chloe. Chloe followed suit, not wanting to get on the woman's bad side.

Ms. Posen was much younger than Chloe expected. She'd pictured someone well into her forties, but the woman appeared to be barely thirty years old. She had been perfectly nice to Chloe, but she could hear the tension in the teacher's voice when she called Beca's name while taking roll.

The class collectively groaned when Ms. Posen told them there would be _three_ research papers over the course of the school year. She told the students that late work was not accepted, except in extreme circumstances. She said, "It had better be a hospital visit, preferably with you as the patient. You'll be given plenty of notice of the due date of your big assignments, so I don't want to hear excuses."

"As I have said in earlier years, I will be happy to help anyone who asks, but you need to come to me. You're all seniors, and I'm not going to seek you out."

Chloe left the class thinking Beca may have been exaggerating about their English teacher. She appeared to be tough, but Chloe was okay with a tough teacher as long as they were also fair. She wasn't sure what would happen if she ended up having to ask Ms. Posen for help, but she hoped the woman would keep her word.

* * *

Lunchtime was super awkward. She'd packed her lunch, not yet knowing whether or not to trust the cafeteria food. She stood at the cafeteria entrance, looking around when she finally spotted Beca, Jessica, Ashley, and Flo. Jessica caught her eye immediately and gestured for her to come and join them.

"Wise choice packing your lunch," said Beca. "Cafeteria food here is borderline inedible."

"I'm so glad I found you guys," said Chloe. "Being the new girl is really hard."

"You're going to be fine," said Jessica. "Have you asked Conrad about cheerleading yet?"

"No," said Chloe. "I don't have her class until last period, and homeroom didn't seem to be the right time."

"You should talk to her after class," said Ashley.

Chloe wasn't sure. She seemed nice enough in homeroom, but she wasn't sure how she ran her class.

* * *

When seventh period rolled around, Chloe was relieved to find out Ms. Conrad was just as pleasant in her class as she'd been in homeroom. At the end of class, Beca whispered, "Go talk to her about cheerleading." When Chloe hesitated, she nudged her. "Go."

Chloe walked up to her chemistry teacher, knowing Beca wasn't going to let this go. "Hi, Ms. Conrad. May I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure. What's up?"

"I heard you were the cheer coach. I just moved here from Florida, and I was wondering..."

"You want to join the squad, right?"

"Yeah, if there's room. I didn't know we were moving here until this summer, or I would have reached out. I was a cheerleader at my old school."

"Well, I'd have to see what you can do, but we do have an opening. One of our cheerleaders moved out of state over the summer. Can you come to practice tomorrow after school?"

"Oh, totes. I just have to make sure I have a ride home."

Beca piped up. "You have one."

"Thanks," said Chloe. "You don't mind?"

"Not at all," said Beca. "Chloe, wasn't there something else you wanted to ask?"

Chloe chewed on her bottom lip.

"What is it?" asked Ms. Conrad.

"Would you consider having guys on the squad? I met Flo and she said she wants to tumble, but she has to be a flyer. We had a few guys on the squad in Florida and we had quite a few flyers."

"It's a thought," said Ms. Conrad. "If you make the squad tomorrow, I'll let you pitch the idea to them, okay?"

"Sure," said Chloe. "Thanks."

"Come on," said Beca. "Let's go home. I want to enjoy the last night without homework for the foreseeable future."

* * *

The next afternoon, Chloe went to cheer practice. Ms. Conrad talked her through a few things, and then she let the squad vote. She was pleasantly surprised to see the squad unanimously vote her in.

Chloe pitched the idea of letting guys join the squad, and just about all of them were in favor of the idea. They made a plan to hold tryouts the following week.

Beca picked up Chloe after practice was over. "I take it since you texted me as late as you did that you got in!"

"I did, and they're going to see if guys want to join the squad."

"I know a few who might want to do that. I'll talk to them."

"Thanks, Beca."

"You're welcome. Oh, and, I wanted to ask you something before we get to your house."

"What's that?"

"Will you go out with me Friday night?"

"As in...on a date?"

"Yes," said Beca, her voice suddenly quiet.

"Yes."

"Great," said Beca, sounding much more relaxed. "I thought I'd show you around since you're new here. All the fun stuff."

"So, the Barden area according to Beca Mitchell?"

Beca smirked. "I should patent that."

"Maybe," said Chloe. They pulled up in front of Chloe's house. "Well, I'll see you at school. I'm looking forward to Friday night."

"Me too," said Beca.

Chloe gave Beca a quick peck on the cheek before exiting the car.

She smiled to herself as she shut the front door to her house. She got on the cheerleading squad and she had a date for Friday night. Barden High was shaping up to be a pretty nice place to spend her senior year.


End file.
